<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Solve for the Equation of Me and You by SolaceTheMage</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29495172">Solve for the Equation of Me and You</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SolaceTheMage/pseuds/SolaceTheMage'>SolaceTheMage</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst with a Happy Ending, Backstory, Brief Mention of Suicide, Bullying, Child Neglect, Gyro Gearloose has reasons for being an asshole, M/M, Mild Language, OC for a specific scene, Post-Episode: s01e18 Who is Gizmoduck?!, Pre-Episode: s03e06 Astro B.O.Y.D.!, Wingmen Duck Triplets</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 00:42:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,898</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29495172</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SolaceTheMage/pseuds/SolaceTheMage</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Gyro is a genius who can overcome any obstacle and solve any problem or equation, all without needing the concept of sentiment or emotions. But what happens when his walls start to break down when it comes to his coworker, Fenton? With help from the Duck Triplets, Gyro can learn how to navigate through these troubling feelings with some not-so-conventional advice.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera &amp; Gyro Gearloose, Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera/Gyro Gearloose</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>69</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Solve for the Equation of Me and You</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>My first fic! I hope y'all enjoy it. Constructive criticism is appreciated! And major props to @Marbot457 for being my beta-reader, doing some great editing, and overall being a great mentor and pal! :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Solving equations and fixing problems were things that Dr. Gyro Gearloose did on a daily basis. McDuck enterprises wanted to make some extra cash? Gyro invents tools and machines to make everyday chores easier. Scrooge McDuck and co. caught in a scrape? There was Gyro, postulating a quick and generally non-life-threatening solution. Evil robot duck threatening to destroy Duckburg? Well, that one was probably one of his, but legally if it couldn't be traced back to him it wasn't technically his problem.</p>
<p>Quick solutions to dangerous problems were one of Gyro’s specialties, he practically had it down to a science. Keyword, had. Recently he’s been having problems of a different nature. Problems that couldn't be solved with a simple machine or scientific equation. This problem was of a more delicate nature, to be more precise, it was of an emotional nature, and it was driving the already mad doctor absolutely insane.</p>
<p>Gyro arrived at the underwater lab early that morning with his head plagued with these bothersome ever-present thoughts. The subject? His co-worker, Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera. Yes, somehow that plucky cheerful prick managed to get the renowned stone hearted Gyro to fall for him. It started with stray thoughts here and there about how his feathers shined under the laboratory lights or how cute his mannerisms were, and then when Gizmoduck became a thing it just got worse because it showed how genuinely good the guy was.</p>
<p>It was all a pain in the neck really and as much as Gyro tried to push these feelings away, every time he saw him, they all started flooding back. It was starting to impact his work and productivity. Mr. McDuck had given him an important assignment nearly a week ago and he hadn't even started on it, and it was all because of these sentimental feelings eating away at him like a moth to a curtain.</p>
<p><em>“But are they really so horrible?”</em> Gyro pondered, <em>“It’s rather nice to be fond of someone, to wait for them on bated breath, to hear them talk about their interests and ideas, to look into their beautiful brown eyes and feel at ease for once...”</em></p>
<p>Gyro shook himself and snapped back to reality.</p>
<p>“Oh Gyro,” he muttered to himself, “Get it together, you are a man of science! You have no business thinking about all of these… frivolous imaginings.”</p>
<p>He flipped the light switch on for the lab, looking around at all his nonexistent progress for the past week and he shook himself again, more self-aware this time.</p>
<p>“Things like that should not take precedence over work, over science.” and with that, he nodded self-assuredly, rolled up his sleeves, and set to work on his weekly assignments but not before grumbling,</p>
<p>“Frivolous imaginings indeed.”</p>
<p>The hyper focused chicken was in the midst of drawing out a theoretical equation for a voice automated can opener when he heard a buzzing from his desk. He stood up and stretched, hearing the popping of his barely used joints, before he made his way from one workspace to the other. Sifting through the many blueprints and papers on his desk eventually led him to the buzzing object, his phone.</p>
<p>His phone vibrated once more, and he looked at it to see it was a message from Fenton. Or rather, a few messages from Fenton detailing the grueling torture of the long drive to work. The latest notification was a message apologizing profusely stating that Fenton was going to be late for work due to some car trouble and the ensuing traffic. He typed out a response assuring that it wouldn’t be a problem and to just get to the lab when he could. A professional response for a professional relationship.</p>
<p>Absolutely.</p>
<p>Gyro sighed as he looked around his near empty laboratory. With Fenton arriving late and Manny on vacation, it was just him and Lil Bulb in there today, and that pesky little helper of his was nowhere to be seen, likely off doing his own thing. It was quiet, almost eerily so. Gyro would have felt alone if not for the occasional beeping and rumbling of his precious machines. Speaking of, one of them-the one he had previously been working on- just let out a pathetic little ‘ting’ and shut down. Sighing again, he walked back over to his workstation and set back to his task.</p>
<p>As Gyro sat alone, tinkering with his latest project, his thoughts began to wander. He thought of how he had gotten to this point in his life, a point where even the barest hint of sentimentality had him running far far away. Of course, the answer to that was easy, his upbringing.</p>
<p>His parents were not exactly the best at showing affection. By which he means, they never showed it at all. In fact, they were quite actively cold and uncaring towards him. When Gyro was a child, if he had needed them, he was only met with a harsh scolding and a swift dismissal. Even at such a young age, Gyro knew that he could never rely on his parents for anything, and as time went on he learned that in their eyes he was only a burden.</p>
<p>Memories of his emotionally neglectful childhood started flooding back to his mind. Many of these had been suppressed due to the sheer amount of pain and anguish they brought with them, and Gyro couldn't afford to feel that weakness and vulnerability in his adult life. One particularly traumatic memory seemed to resurface, and even after not having thought about it in over 20 years, the pain it wrought was still fresh. Now that Gyro had finally remembered this occurrence after so long, it felt as if it had happened yesterday.</p>
<p>He just turned 15 when it occurred, his feathers had just begun to molt, and he was growing taller quicker than his body could keep up. So, there he was, in all his awkward lanky teenage glory, sitting alone reading while waiting for his first class of the day to begin. Suddenly he felt a tap on his shoulder and looked up to see what he assumed to be one of his classmates, a pretty brown duck, looking back at him. Her hair was styled into a ponytail, with pieces of hair falling into her face, framing her pretty brown eyes set just above her freckled cheeks. Objectively, she was quite beautiful. Why she was here talking to someone like him was beyond him.</p>
<p>Gyro had never talked to this girl before, he’d barely ever seen her in a passing glance, so he was quite surprised that she was even giving him the time of day. It took him a moment before he realized that she was waiting for him to speak.</p>
<p>“Oh, h-hi!” he stammered, visibly nervous now, “Is there s-something I can help y-you with?”</p>
<p>The girl nodded and chirped, “Yes, Gyro, I was hoping that you could meet me after school today to tell me about your experiments-” she twirled her hair as she spoke. “-and maybe tutor me in what we’re learning about in physics, that sort of stuff is too hard for a girl like me, you know?”</p>
<p>Gyro nodded and beamed, nearly speechless because this was the very first time that someone had cared about what he had to say. And she wanted to talk about the subject of his experiments! All he could really do was keep nodding.</p>
<p>The girl smiled back at him, grabbed both of his hands, and exclaimed, “Great! Meet me on the roof of the school as soon as the last bell rings! See you there!”</p>
<p>Gyro could not wait for that final bell to ring. He caught himself unable to conceal his happiness all day and felt as if his heart was about to beat out of his chest.</p>
<p><em> “Somebody finally noticed me!!”</em> the young chicken thought excitedly, <em>“Somebody cares enough about me to not only talk to me, but also hang out with me after school!”</em></p>
<p>As soon as the final bell for dismissal rang, Gyro made a beeline for the door, and rushed to his locker. He grabbed everything that he could hold, from textbooks to a box of inventions. He loaded the textbooks into his backpack and carried his inventions in front of him. He bolted to the stairwell and ran up the stairs to the roof. As promised, the pretty brown duck was waiting there for him.</p>
<p>He attempted to smoothly walk up to her, but the countless number of stairs that he just had to climb made his knees extremely wobbly.</p>
<p>“H-hi!” Gyro panted, “S-sorry I kept you waiting, there’s just so many stairs!”</p>
<p>The duck giggled, “It’s okay, Gyro, I wasn’t waiting here for too long!”</p>
<p>She scooted over on the concrete bench she was perched on and prompted Gyro to sit. He sat next to her and asked sheepishly, “So, what shall we touch on first? I hope my inventions won’t be too boring or underwhelming to you.”</p>
<p>She cocked her head to the side, smiled, and cooed, “Not at all, Gyro, I’d love to hear what all you have been working on. You always seem so focused on your inventions whenever we have a break between classes that I just had to know what it was all about. Now, go on, I want to hear about this one on top right here,” as she pointed at the box of gadgets at his feet.</p>
<p>Gyro gave her a big toothy grin and began gushing about his latest invention, the way it worked, and its purpose. After he ran out of electronics to talk about, he geared the conversation to helping her with physics. They cracked open their textbooks and began talking about the lesson that was lectured to them that day.</p>
<p>After about 20 minutes, the duck spoke up and said, “Hey, I think I need to head home soon, can we finish it with this next question?”</p>
<p>Gyro looked at his watch and noticed that it had been almost an hour since they met up. The chicken said rather nervously, “Oh jeez, I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize how long I was rambling on and on! We can be finished for today, if you’d like!”</p>
<p>They both were at the top of the descending stairwell and when Gyro turned to her and exclaimed, “Thank you so much! It’s not every day that I get to hang out with someone after school and talk about my interests. What was your name again?”</p>
<p>The duck smiled and said, “Autumn. It’s my favorite season too, so I guess it’s perfect for me! Isn’t it strange how many terms there are to describe Autumn?”</p>
<p>Gyro was perplexed at the seemingly easy question and answered, “Oh, yes! Let’s see there’s the autumnal equinox, the harvest season, but I feel like most people tend to call it fall nowadays.”</p>
<p>Autumn gave him a smug smile and giggled a little too sweetly, “That’s right! Fall...”</p>
<p>Before Gyro could react, he felt a force on his back that propelled him forward and knocked his feet from under him. He tried to cling on to the box of precious gadgets in his arms, but it was no use. Everything from the box was flying out in front of him. His inventions crashed at the bottom of the stairs, shattering to pieces, along with Gyro a half second after. Gyro landed face first into the broken glass from his inventions. He was used to that pain, it was familiar, as his inventions had literally blown up in his face before. What he wasn’t used to what happened afterward. Apparently, Autumn wasn’t the only person aware of our meeting. In front of him, Gyro looked at a sea of faces that had been waiting for him. Their laughter was uproarious, and it was all directed at him. He looked around, bewildered, as blood dripped down his face.</p>
<p>A voice in the crowd called out, “Haha, oh wow, she got Gearloose good!”</p>
<p>Another voice piped up, “Look at how pathetic he looks! He probably thought she was actually interested in him!”</p>
<p><em> “Oh,”</em> the young, naïve chicken thought, <em>“I think I understand. This was a trap. I was tricked.”</em></p>
<p>Gyro felt his face get hot, and tears welled up in the corner of his eyes. He let his face fall back onto the floor, more glass sinking into his skin. It wasn’t long until the laughter faded, as Gyro blacked out. When Gyro awoke, he found that he was in the backseat of his father’s car. He looked around and saw that it was dark outside with only street lights illuminating the sky and his face.</p>
<p>“You’re awake,” A voice from the front seat of the car stated.</p>
<p><em> “Oh god.”</em> Gyro thought frantically, <em>“Why did he have to come get me?”</em></p>
<p>“F-Father! I-I’m sorry that you had to go out of your way to come get me. W-what happened? I think I f-fell unconscious, I can’t s-seem to…” Gyro stammered and trailed off.</p>
<p>His father continued to look at the road, ignoring his questions and snapped, “Stop talking. I have a question for you. How did I raise such a disappointment?”</p>
<p>Gyro felt as if he had been punched in the gut and remained silent. He gazed out the window, wishing that he could be given a new life with more happiness and support. After that, Gyro found that if he hasn’t had anyone think he was worthwhile yet, then there was no point in trying to form a connection with anyone anymore. That's when he turned away from such frivolities as emotional connection, and never looked back. Two years later, he graduated at the top of his class, moved to Tokyolk for his internship, and kept moving forward. When that incident with 2-BO was all said and done and his charges were cleared, he fled to Duckburg and the rest was history. Gyro was lucky that Mr. McDuck had seen his potential and his brilliance, but that’s all it really was. He needed a gifted scientist, and he got one. It wasn’t as if we shared a deep, personal connection, McDuck and he. Even if he did see Gyro as his family of sorts, Scrooge would never admit that, and Gyro would never accept it. He wasn’t worthy of that kind of love that Scrooge and his kin shared.</p>
<p>Gyro breathed in with his nostrils and exhaled a heavy, exasperated sigh.</p>
<p>“And what did we learn from that experience, Gyro?” he mumbled to himself, “That you are weak, but you can’t show that, can you? So, you have to push people away, because if you let them in, they’ll see you for what you really are: A sniveling, cowardly, vulnerable fool.”</p>
<p>“<em>But after all of that…why?”</em> Gyro thought pensively, <em>“Why am I allowing myself to feel this way about Fenton? Why am I allowing myself to fall for him? Do I need to rebuild my walls? Do I need to just give up on these feelings because it risks that I slip into a reality that I am worthy of romantic love? Do I close myself off from him forever, keeping this with me until I die? Do I….?”</em></p>
<p>His stream of consciousness was interrupted by the vibration of his cellphone. He looked at the screen to see that Scrooge was calling him.</p>
<p>He answered the phone and greeted, “Hello, Mr. McDuck, what could I do for you?”</p>
<p>“Aye, lad, I’m good, just fine,” Scrooge answered cheerfully in his typically Scottish brogue, “I actually need a favor for today. The boys have been bugging me to take them to your lab for a visit. Would you mind if we swung by today?”</p>
<p>Gyro thought for a quick moment, <em>“That’s odd. They never want to come here out of the blue, and especially for no reason. They must be up to something.”</em></p>
<p>“Sure, I can make time, even though I am exceedingly busy with my latest projects,” Gyro lied.</p>
<p>“Splendid, we’ll be there in a minute,” Scrooge chirped before he hung up the phone.</p>
<p>It was not long until Gyro heard the familiar crashing sound of Launchpad in the Money Bin garage, as well as the boys’ joyful chattering. He still didn’t know what was up those kids’ sleeves, but he was curious to find out.</p>
<p>He greeted the small family at the door, and the boys, oblivious to the innovative technology around them, were laser-focused on Gyro.</p>
<p>Huey, with his Junior Woodchuck Guide under his arm, waved and yelled, “Hi, Dr. Gearloose!”</p>
<p>Dewey, giving him a wink and a pair of finger guns, laughed, “Hey, Gy-Guy, how’s it hangin’?”</p>
<p>Louie, who uncharacteristically shoved his phone in his hoodie pocket, greeted nonchalantly, “Sup, Gyro.”</p>
<p><em> “Okay, this is really weird.”</em> Gyro thought, somewhat worriedly, <em>“What the hell is going on?”</em></p>
<p>Scrooge shoved past the boys to meet with Gyro, and apologized, “Ah, sorry for the sudden intrusion. I honestly don’t know what’s gotten into…”</p>
<p>Louie interrupted his great uncle, “Hey, Uncle Scrooge!! Could you please get your three favorite great nephews some cans of Pep? Pleeeeeeeeeeease!!” as Dewey and Huey nodded in agreement.</p>
<p>Scrooge scolded, “What in blazes has gotten into you three?! I cannae get through one sentence without you hellions pestering me?!” He huffed, straightened his top hat, and went towards the lobby grumbling about the entitlement of today’s youth. This was all very strange to Gyro.</p>
<p><em> “Haven’t they some adventuring to do today?”</em> Gyro thought puzzled, <em>“What do these children even want with me?”</em></p>
<p>“So, um…” Gyro stammered as he struggled to find his words, “Is there something I can help you boys with?”</p>
<p>“Well, no.” Huey explained rather shyly, “But there is something that we think we can help you with.”</p>
<p>Before Gyro could do so much as raise an eyebrow, Dewey exclaimed, still brandishing dual finger guns, “Yeah!! We are gonna help you with your crush on Fenton!!”</p>
<p>Gyro felt his face get hot both with embarrassment and anger. He didn’t think his “crush” was so obvious that literal children could pick up on it.</p>
<p>“Y-You little ingrates!!” Gyro yelled, a red blush painted across his face, “I do not have a crush on Cabrera, we just work together! Even if I did, my feelings on ANYONE are none of your bus-!”</p>
<p>Gyro’s tirade was interrupted by a vibration of his phone. It was a text from Fenton, saying that traffic was horrible, and that he was really sorry about how late he was going to be. Forgetting where he was and who was there, his expression softened as he read Fenton’s earnest apologies and a smile and soft blush crept across his face. He was knocked out of his trance when he remembered that he had three pairs of eyes watching his every move rather smugly.</p>
<p>Louie raised an eyebrow and snickered, “So, you were saying?”</p>
<p>Gyro sighed. He supposed that he wasn’t as secretive and closed off as he thought he was. He was extremely embarrassed that he was so careless with his emotions that it had become visible.</p>
<p>“But fear not, you robotic Romeo!” Dewey loudly exclaimed, “We have all come up with our own plans that will surely win him over and make you both live happily ever after! You in?”</p>
<p>“Well, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to listen to what you all have to say,” Gyro resigned.</p>
<p>Huey stepped forward, cleared his throat, and spoke up, “Alright, I will go first with my proposal!”</p>
<p>He took out his Junior Woodchuck Guide out from under his arm and flipped to the page he wanted to read immediately.</p>
<p>“According to Junior Woodchuck Guideline #143, in reference to courtship, it states that, ‘<span class="u"><em><strong>A declaration of feelings in a passionate letter makes the chances of the emotional reciprocation all the better!’</strong></em></span> So, I suggest that you write a letter to him detailing your feelings, and he’ll probably feel the same! IT’S SCIENCE!” Huey exclaimed, shoving the open guidebook in Gyro’s face.</p>
<p>The very thought of confronting his own feelings, cementing them into writing, and giving them to the one person whose opinion on him and his feelings truly mattered suddenly made him ill, but before Gyro could protest, Dewey interrupted Huey.</p>
<p>“Oh, my sweet, naïve Hubert,” Dewey condescended, “Love isn’t a formula that you just plug feelings into, and the emotion just magically appears, you gotta have the appeal, you gotta have the swagger, you gotta have the…”</p>
<p>Gyro had thought something was wrong with the kid since he had stopped talking so abruptly, but next thing he knew, Dewey put his hand on his shoulder and looked at him with a peculiar smolder.</p>
<p>“Hey.” Dewey said in as smooth a tone the kid could muster.</p>
<p>The two remaining brothers burst into laughter, as Gyro removed Dewey’s hand from his shoulder while giving him a glare.</p>
<p>“Dewey,” Louie cackled as he gasped for air, “WHAT WAS THAT?!”</p>
<p>“H-hey, you two shut up!” Dewey yelled, clearly embarrassed. He then turns to Gyro and clarifies, “Ha, listen, what I just did might’ve looked kinda silly, but trust me, you plant one of those on Fenton and hit him with the ‘hey,’ he will melt like butter on a skillet, just trust me on this.”</p>
<p>Again, before Gyro could protest this suggestion, Louie shoved his two brothers to the side and faced him.</p>
<p>Wiping a tear from his eye from his previous laughing fit, he states, “Hoo, you two crack me up. So, listen Gyro, my guy, if you want him to fall for you, you gotta show him what he’s gotta look forward to if you two were together. You have to spoil him, give him some nice, expensive stuff, take him to a fancy restaurant, that kinda stuff. Show him that you are willing to make an investment. And when he’s in the euphoria of getting all this cool stuff, bam! You pop the question, and obviously, he’ll say yes.”</p>
<p>Huey spoke up, “That’s- that’s horrible advice! This isn’t some sort of business deal!”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Dewey agreed, “plus Scrooge doesn’t pay him enough as it is! There’s no way he’ll afford that!”</p>
<p>“Hey!” Gyro yelled, “I resent that!”</p>
<p>Louie shrugged his shoulders, smirked, and mumbles, “Hey, it’s a more realistic plan than you two knuckleheads came up with.”</p>
<p>Huey holds up his guidebook over his head and exclaimed, “My plan is not only realistic, but also scientific!”</p>
<p>Dewey folds his arms in front of him and confidently proclaimed, “Well, my plan works in movies ALL the time!”</p>
<p>“No, it doesn’t!” Louie and Huey countered in unison.</p>
<p>All three brothers started to bicker all in unison, and it was honestly starting to give Gyro a headache.</p>
<p>Gyro stood up in front of the boys and yelled, “Alright, alright, enough!”</p>
<p>The boys stopped fighting to look at him, all with equally shocked expressions.</p>
<p>Gyro sighed and knelt down to be eye-level with the triplets, “Look, I don’t have that many options here, so I suppose I could try each one of your plans.”</p>
<p>The boys cheered, all giving each other high fives at their apparent victory.</p>
<p><em> “Oh god, Gyro,”</em> he internally groaned, <em>“Just what did you just set yourself up for?”</em></p>
<p>As they all heard a door close, everyone looked back to see that Mr. McDuck had returned with the promised cans of Pep. The triplets all dash up to their great uncle, grab their respective cans of soda, and dash out the door.</p>
<p>Dewey peaks his head in the door one last time and yelled, “See ya, Gyro! Remember what we talked about! Bye!”</p>
<p>And off they went. Scrooge gave Gyro an apologetic and exasperated smile, tipped his hat as a form of a goodbye, and trailed after the boys.</p>
<p><em> “Well, that was certainly odd.”</em> Gyro thought, <em>“If this all fails and it turns out that this was all some kind of practical joke played by those three, I don’t know what I’ll do. I might just have to quit.”</em></p>
<p>“Well, Gyro, I suppose you’re writing a love letter.” He muttered to himself, “What do you have to lose? You’re probably going to end up alone anyway.”</p>
<p>Since Fenton was going to be so late, Gyro figured he had plenty of time to write this letter, detailing everything that he felt about him, no distractions. As he put pen to paper, he already started to get so nervous that he started to shake.</p>
<p><em> “What if this is all a huge mistake?</em>” he questioned internally, “<em>What if Fenton doesn’t see me the way that I see him? What if he laughs in my face? What if I disgust him with this copious amount of emotion?”</em></p>
<p>Gyro took a deep breath in through his nose and out through his mouth. He tried to remember the tips he had been reading in a self-help book he had procured recently to help him with his confidence.</p>
<p>“Try to picture the best possible outcome instead of the worst possible outcome,” he whispered to himself.</p>
<p>“Oh, Gyro,” the Fenton in his fantasy cheered, “I thought you never ask! Of course, I’ll be your boyfriend! In fact, let’s get married tomorrow! And then we’ll adopt a ton of babies!”</p>
<p>Snapping back to reality, he covered his beet red face with his hands.</p>
<p><em> “T-too much!”</em> he internally sputtered, <em>“I went a little too fast too quickly in that fantasy there!”</em></p>
<p>Though, he did feel a little bit better and at ease. Settling down with Fenton and having a family with him didn’t seem like such a bad idea. Of course, it wouldn’t be tomorrow. Love takes work, he at least knew that much. With some anxiety soothed, Gyro took a deep breath and began to pour his heart out onto the page. He began by apologizing to him for how hard he is on him sometimes, but that it is only because he cares so much about him, sees the passion and drive in his eyes whenever he works, and ever so desperately wants him to succeed because he knows how happy it’ll make him. He then details how much he loves seeing his smile, and that whenever he catches a glimpse of it, it just makes his day. Gyro finally punctuates his letter with the admission of strong romantic feelings and asks if he feels the same. Wiping the sweat from his brow and satisfied with his work, he shakenly walks over to Fenton’s desk, which has been moved from the bathroom to the main lab room and places it on the surface. A mix of terror and relief washes over him. All Gyro could do was wait until Fenton arrived. In about 10 minutes or so, Gyro heard the door open and the sound of duck feet walking towards him.</p>
<p>“Salutations, Dr. Gearloose!” Fenton happily greeted, “I am so so sorry about how late I am! My car wouldn’t start this morning and when it finally did, the traffic was unbearable!”</p>
<p>Gyro stayed facing away from him and waved. He couldn’t face him, because he would no doubt see that he was sweating bullets.</p>
<p>“Ah, what’s this?” Fenton innocently asked as he picked up the paper on his desk.</p>
<p><em> “This is it,”</em> Gyro’s mind raced, <em>“He will finally know how I feel, and I will finally know if he feels the same!”</em></p>
<p>As the countless number of thoughts and possible outcomes clouded his mind, he didn’t notice that Fenton was walking towards his desk with visible befuddlement with the note in his hands.</p>
<p>“Dr. Gearloose, sir,” Fenton inquired, “Are you busy at the moment?”</p>
<p>Trying to keep his cool, Gyro swiveled around in his chair to face Fenton, answering his questioning silently with a quizzical eyebrow raise, despite the fact that his heart was beating in his throat.</p>
<p>“I found this on my desk, and I have no idea what it says. Do you think you could help translate it?” Fenton innocuously asked, unaware of the terrible effect of this question will have on his coworker.</p>
<p>Despite Gyro’s world crumbling around him, he answered shrilly as he semi-snatched the note from the brown duck’s hands, “Let-let me see that!”</p>
<p>Gyro examined his note with a newfound horror that he had just made an absolute fool of himself in front of who he loves most.</p>
<p><em> “Jesus Christ!”</em> Gyro internally shouted, <em>“This really is illegible! I must have been so nervous writing it; I didn’t even notice how horrible my handwriting was!”</em></p>
<p>He then remembered where he was, and who he was with, and turned to Fenton, who was giving him an extra puzzled look because he had noticed how uncharacteristically frazzled his boss was.</p>
<p>“Ahahaha, I think I understand now!” Gyro laughed shallowly, “I think Manny wrote this! It’s so horribly written that you’d think someone with hooves wrote it, ahaha! I’ll dispose of this, and I’ll ask him to write a new one when he returns from his vacation! Don’t worry about it, Cabrera, just get back to work, ahaha!”</p>
<p>“Hehe, I guess that is kind of funny, Manny doesn’t have any opposable thumbs!” Fenton giggled cutely, “And whatever you say, Dr. Gearloose!”</p>
<p>When Fenton was back to his desk and had all of his attention on his work, Gyro quickly took his rage out on his illegible note by crumpling it up in a ball and pitching it across the room, having it land perfectly in the recycling bin. He then took out a notepad and scratched out the words ‘Note to Fenton’ on it a little too violently.</p>
<p><em> “Sorry, red nephew,”</em> Gyro resigned, <em>“but that was a disaster.”</em></p>
<p>A few hours after the note incident, it was nearing lunchtime and Fenton always seemed to eat at around the same time. Since he had such a hectic morning, Fenton didn’t have time to make his own lunch, so he was browsing his options to eat on his phone. Gyro had been steadily building some more confidence after the fiasco a few hours ago, and he was determined that this next technique would work. He rose out of his chair and made his way towards Fenton’s desk. When he got there, he tried his best to stop his knees from shaking. Before he could use his new greeting, Fenton noticed and smiled at him.</p>
<p>“Hello, Dr. Gearloose!” Fenton greeted, “Would you like to join me for lun…”</p>
<p>Fenton trailed off in the middle of his question, because he felt Gyro’s hand on his shoulder, a slight pink blush appearing across his face.</p>
<p>“Hey,” Gyro greeted in the suavest tone that Gyro could come up with.</p>
<p>“Um… Dr. Gearloose, are you feeling okay?” Fenton questioned.</p>
<p><em> “Damn! I must have not done it right!”</em> Gyro thought panicking, <em>“Let me try again!”</em></p>
<p>He took his hand off Fenton’s shoulder and placed it again with a bit of tighter grip.</p>
<p>“Hey,” Gyro greeted again, much less suave.</p>
<p>Fenton looked up at him with an extremely confused expression.</p>
<p>Gyro released his grip on his coworker’s shoulder, turned on his heels, and briskly walked back to his desk.</p>
<p>Exceedingly baffled and a tad disappointed that Gyro would likely not join him, he half-heartedly laughed, “Okay, well, I’ll see you later, Dr. Gearloose!”</p>
<p>When he was sure that Fenton had left and couldn’t hear him, Gyro threw his head back and screamed.</p>
<p><em> “Why?!”</em> Gyro internally seethed, <em>“Why is this so difficult?!?!”</em></p>
<p>He again took out his notepad and roughly crossed out the words, ‘Hey ;)’</p>
<p>“A complete dud, blue nephew,” He angrily muttered to himself, “I suppose this is my final resort.”</p>
<p>While Fenton was out to lunch, Gyro had plans of his own. He dashed out of his lab to the nearest store that sells suits and ties, something he longed to see Fenton wearing for a long time, but he never had the chance to see him in such a formal setting. It was difficult to get a suit tailored to Fenton’s small size, especially since he wasn’t there, but Gyro tried his best to give the tailor accurate measurements. After Fenton’s suit was tailored, it was Gyro’s turn to have his own suit fitted. He had never done this before; he didn’t go to his high school dances and he’s never been to a wedding. This concept of taking care of oneself and wanting to look nice for someone was exceedingly foreign to him. It felt… nice.</p>
<p>Gyro’s train of thought was interrupted by the suit-fitter speaking up, “Sir, would you like me to tailor a hole for your tailfeathers?”</p>
<p><em> “My tailfeathers…?”</em> Gyro questioned, completely forgetting that he even had tailfeathers, <em>“Hmmm, I’ve never really shown them off before.”</em></p>
<p>He threw caution to the wind and answered the suit-fitter, “Yes, I would like that, thank you.”</p>
<p>When the suits were done, Gyro ran to the florist and got a dozen red roses. As he left the florist, it was almost 4 o’clock.</p>
<p><em> “Shit, it’s getting late,”</em> Gyro silently panicked, <em>“Fenton is probably wondering where I am.”</em></p>
<p>He was essentially running on the sidewalk, trying to get back to the lab, when he passed a jeweler. Gyro saw something that stopped him in his tracks. He backtracked to the jeweler’s window, and his eyes landed on a gold bracelet that would look exquisite on Fenton’s wrist. He looked towards the lab nervously and looked back at the bracelet in the window. He knew that he would regret it if he didn’t buy it for him, because it was very pretty. Of course, not as pretty as Fenton though. Louie’s words echoed in his head and Gyro decided that he should heed his advice and spoil the one he loves and show him that he is a worthy investment. He went into the store and asked for the golden band in the window. By the time he left the jeweler, he had his arms filled with gifts to give Fenton, and only his two legs to take him back to the lab. He ran as fast as he could back to the lab, narrowly avoiding knocking people over but not avoiding the fact that he looked like a complete fool. Only someone like Fenton could make him act this way. He checked his watch.</p>
<p><em> “Christ, it’s almost 6 o’clock!”</em> Gyro lamented, <em>“I hope he hasn’t left to go home yet.”</em></p>
<p>As he finally reached The Bin’s elevator, he could barely stand his legs were so tired from essentially sprinting and his arms ached from carrying everything.</p>
<p>Gyro exhaled a big breath out of his nose and laughed a little to himself, “Oh, but he is worth it.”</p>
<p>He went back down to the lab and opened the door to see Fenton packing up his things at his desk. As soon as he saw Gyro, Fenton sprung to his feet and ran right up to him.</p>
<p>“Dr. Gearloose!” he exclaimed, “You had me so worried! I come back, and you are nowhere to be found! I figured you went out to lunch without me, but then hours passed, and I thought…”</p>
<p>Fenton’s panic was halted by Gyro placing his hand on his shoulder.</p>
<p>“Hey.” He cooed sympathetically, “It’s okay, I’m here now. I apologize for making you worry.”</p>
<p>Fenton said nothing, only giving him a shy blush and a smile.</p>
<p><em> “God, his smile.”</em> Gyro thought lovingly, “<em>His beautiful smile.”</em></p>
<p>Gyro knocked himself out of his trance and cleared his throat.</p>
<p>“So, um,” Gyro nervously asked, “Do you have any plans for dinner tonight?”</p>
<p>“Ah, no, not really,” Fenton answered, “M’ma is working late tonight., so I suppose I’ll just heat up some leftovers.”</p>
<p>“How about you and I go out for d-dinner?” Gyro stammered, “j-just the two of us?”</p>
<p><em> “Keep it together, Gearloose!”</em> Gyro scolded himself.</p>
<p>Fenton beamed, “Oh wow, Dr. Gearloose, I would love to! Where would you like to go?”</p>
<p>“How about the new fancy restaurant that opened up down the street, Quaggiano’s?” Gyro suggested.</p>
<p>“Quaggiano’s?!” Fenton practically shouted, “I-I’m afraid I’m a tad underdressed for a place that fancy.”</p>
<p>“Oh, no worries, while I was out, I picked this up,” Gyro reassured, handing the small duck a garment bag, “try it on, if you like.”</p>
<p>“Oh wow, sir, thank you,” Fenton said excitedly, “I really don’t know what to say, Dr. Gearloose!”</p>
<p>“Please, you can call me Gyro when we’re off the clock.” Gyro muttered.</p>
<p>“Oh, okay, thank you, Gyro…” Fenton cooed bashfully, absolutely failing at hiding his blush.</p>
<p>“You’re welcome, Fenton,” Gyro responded, trying to keep his cool internally, “Now go get changed, it’s getting late.”</p>
<p>“Right!” the brown duck exclaimed as he scampered off to the bathroom to change.</p>
<p>“Alright, when he’s in there,” Gyro thought, “I’ll go ahead and change out here.”</p>
<p>When Gyro was done changing, he looked at himself in the mirror. He was wearing brown dress pants, a matching waistcoat and a jacket with gold buttons, all complemented with a gold tie, a white dress shirt and brown loafers. He abandoned his yellow boater hat in favor of letting his hair show, something he rarely ever does. He looks at his exposed tailfeathers, which were twitching and wagging with complete and utter excitement.</p>
<p>“Stop that!” He grumbled to himself, ignoring the idea that it is futile to stop your own instincts and impulses.</p>
<p>“Oh, wow.” A voice called out from behind him. Gyro looked and there he was.</p>
<p>Fenton was wearing a white jacket, pants, waistcoat, and shoes, with a black undershirt and a red bowtie.</p>
<p>“You look good, Gyro!” Fenton exclaimed.</p>
<p>“Th-thank you,” Gyro stuttered, “You look nice as well.”</p>
<p>He wished he could say more than that, but he didn’t want the night to end before it had even started by being too obvious and straightforward.</p>
<p>“Well, shall we get going?” Fenton asked, oblivious to Gyro’s inner conflict.</p>
<p>“Ah, yes,” Gyro answered, “Let’s go, Fenton.”</p>
<p>It was a nice evening as the pair walked together on the sidewalk down the bridge leading from the Bin to the square. The sun was setting, so the sky was a shade of orange with a slight tinge of pink. There was a gentle breeze that picked up the leaves at their feet ever so slightly.</p>
<p>“So, um,” Gyro piped up nervously, “How was your day today?”</p>
<p>Gyro definitely was not used to this type of small talk, especially with his coworker.</p>
<p>“Oh, um,” Fenton answered a little bashfully, “Well, while you were gone, I did get some work done on a secret project of mine. It’s going very well; I hope you’ll be impressed.”</p>
<p>“You’ll have to show me when it’s done,” Gyro affirmed, “By the way, what is it?”</p>
<p>“Haha, hey!” Fenton giggled, “I can’t tell you, or else it wouldn’t be a secret.”</p>
<p>“Hehe, alright, I’ll quit prying.” Gyro resigned playfully, giving him a little smirk.</p>
<p>A slight blush crept across Fenton’s face, which made Gyro exceedingly nervous and excited at the same time.</p>
<p>“Y’know, Gyro, and let me know if this sounds really unprofessional,” Fenton confessed, “But you should really smile more. It looks good on you.”</p>
<p>Gyro could feel his heart in his eardrums. He absolutely did not know how to respond, but he had to think quickly before things got too awkward.</p>
<p>“Heh, th-thank you,” Gyro laughed nervously, “I’ll keep that in mind.”</p>
<p>Shortly after that conversation, the pair arrived at the restaurant and were seated rather promptly.</p>
<p>“Wow, this place is neat!” Fenton exclaimed, looking up at the high ceiling adorned with hanging twinkling lights.</p>
<p>“Yes,” Gyro agreed, “The architecture is rather impressive here.”</p>
<p>They sat in silence for a minute as the waiter came and gave them both glasses of water. Then, Gyro remembered that he had accidentally left the roses at the laboratory.</p>
<p>“Damn it,” Gyro cursed softly to himself, “I’m such an idiot.”</p>
<p>“Everything alright, Gyro?” Fenton asked innocuously as he looked up from the menu.</p>
<p>“Ah, yes,” Gyro assured, panicked and surprised by his coworker’s question, “Everything’s fine!”</p>
<p>“Alright, whatever you say,” Fenton replied, “Ooh, look! They have calamari! Wanna get that to start?”</p>
<p>“Sure, sounds good.” Gyro answered softly, gazing at the brown duck with a smile etched on his face.</p>
<p><em> “This is going great!”</em> his mind raced, <em>“Now is the time I make my move.”</em></p>
<p>“Fenton,” he spoke sternly, “There’s actually something I’ve been wanting to tell you.”</p>
<p>“Oh? What is it?” Fenton inquired, staring intently at his coworker.</p>
<p><em> “This is it!”</em> Gyro thought, <em>“Nothing could mess this up now!”</em></p>
<p>“Th-that I…” Gyro stammered as he took a breath, “That I…”</p>
<p>As he was reaching in his jacket pocket for the velvet box that contained the gold bracelet, he was cut off by a sudden ringing that startled them both. Fenton pulled his suit sleeve back and saw that it was his Gizmoduck bracelet ringing.</p>
<p>“Ah, no,” Fenton lamented, reading the messages on his alarm bracelet, “There’s a bank robbery on the other side of town. It looks like I have to take this. I’m sorry, Gyro. We can catch up later though!"</p>
<p>“Oh, okay, that’s alright,” Gyro assured, trying to hide his crushing disappointment, “I’ll meet you back at the lab if you want.”</p>
<p>Fenton gave him a quick nod, raced out the door, and just like that he was gone, as Gyro heard the sound of Gizmoduck’s jetpacks fading away in the distance.</p>
<p>The oblivious waiter returned back to their table and gleefully asked, “So, what can I get you two?”</p>
<p>“Oh, I just have an order of the calamari.” He answered flatly, “To go. I believe I’ve lost my appetite.”</p>
<p>It was a long walk back to the lab, especially with no one to talk to. It has gotten darker and colder. The gentle breeze from before was replaced with a harsh, frigid bout of wind that was streaming across his face. But Gyro felt numb, and he pressed on.</p>
<p>As he returned to the lab, he was greeted by Lil Bulb, who almost gave him an enthusiastic wave, but lowered his arm as soon as they saw how upset their master was.</p>
<p>Gyro looked down at him and informed, “Ah, I’m fine. Just leave me be for a while, okay?”</p>
<p>The small robot nodded in understanding, with his Tungsten filament furrowed with worry, and scampered off. He pulled out the notepad from his pocket, solemnly crossing out the words ‘Buy his affection’ on it.</p>
<p>“Close, green nephew,” he mumbled to himself, “but not close enough.”</p>
<p>Gyro placed the leftovers on his desk and put his head in his hands.</p>
<p>“Well, you’ve done again, Gyro,” he yelled to himself, “You really thought someone liked you! Again! It’s really no surprise that you’re alone, because you always will be! No one is ever going to love you! Not mom, not dad, not Autumn, not Scrooge, and most certainly not Fenton! You’re just going to die alone with nothing to show for it! Shit, you should just get it over with and hang yours-”</p>
<p>“Gyro?” A voice called out to him.</p>
<p>Gyro slowly turned around to see Fenton, looking horrified.</p>
<p>“Hey, I didn’t mean that part about… How much did you hear?” Gyro asked, panicked.</p>
<p>“Just the last bit,” Fenton whimpered, “Please don’t do anything to hurt yourself. I won’t pry into what’s going on, but I need to make sure you’re okay.”</p>
<p>“I am,” he snapped, losing control of his temper and forgetting who he was talking to, “Now leave.”</p>
<p>“No.” Fenton retorted.</p>
<p>“H-huh? What did you say?” He questioned.</p>
<p>“I said no, Gyro.” The brown duck affirmed, “I want to know what’s going on. You’ve been acting strange all day. I am not as oblivious as I seem.”</p>
<p>“I have not been acting strange!” Gyro protested.</p>
<p>“Yes, you have. Come on, please talk to me. This helps no one and you know it.” Fenton reasoned.</p>
<p>“I can’t.” the chicken continued to resist.</p>
<p>“Why not?” Fenton inquired desperately.</p>
<p>“Because!” Gyro fired back.</p>
<p>“Because…” Fenton started to yell but then his tone softened, “Because you’re in love with me… Did I get that right, Gyro?”</p>
<p>All Gyro could do was freeze and look towards the ground.</p>
<p><em> “H-huh…?”</em> His mind was swimming, <em>“H-he knew before I c-could tell h-him…”</em></p>
<p>“Gyro, I-” Fenton attempted to say, but he was interrupted by some sniffling from Gyro.</p>
<p>“Are you… crying?” Fenton asked since his coworker was turned away from him.</p>
<p>“Are you g-going to l-laugh at m-me t-too? A-are y-you going to h-hurt me t-too? C-call me a d-disappointment?” Gyro whimpered as he had trouble choking out his words between tears.</p>
<p>“No! Of course not!” the duck assured as he walked towards his weeping friend and led him to his desk, “Here, sit down.”</p>
<p>As Fenton pulled up a chair across from him, he instructed softly, “Okay, Gyro, take a deep breath, and just talk whenever you’re ready, okay?”</p>
<p>Gyro took a deep breath through his nose and exhaled out a sigh, “It-it’s true. I do h-have feelings for y-you.” He stammered as he was still recovering from his crying fit from a few seconds ago, “I’m s-sorry, it’s dumb, I know. I thought I was ab-above this, especially since h-having feelings has c-caused me so much p-pain in the past. I g-guess I’ll n-never learn.”</p>
<p>“Hey, Gyro, it’s okay to have feelings! It doesn’t make you dumb or weak or anything like that! That just means we’re alive.” Fenton cooed as he grabbed Gyro’s hand, “Listen, I have no idea what you’ve been through, and we don’t need to get into it now, but all I know is that we can work through it, together.”</p>
<p>“T-together…?” Gyro almost whispered, “D-does that mean…?”</p>
<p>“Yes, Gyro,” Fenton grinned, “I like you too, and I want to be together.”</p>
<p>Gyro was so shocked and bewildered by Fenton’s reciprocation, he did the only thing he could do, which was cry more.</p>
<p>“H-hey! Gyro!” Fenton exclaimed puzzledly, “Was it something I said?”</p>
<p>“N-no, I-I j-just s-so h-happy,” Gyro sobbed as he was struggling with his words again, “I-I h-haven’t cr-cried in a r-really l-long t-time.”</p>
<p>“Oh yeah?” Fenton pried, “When’s the last time you cried?”</p>
<p>“Tw-twenty-two y-years a-ago…” Gyro choked out as he gave a small sheepish chuckle.</p>
<p>“TWENTY-TWO YEARS?!” Fenton was absolutely taken aback, “We’ve got to work on expressing yourself!”</p>
<p>The pair laughed together in the lab, as happy tears were still streaming down Gyro’s face.</p>
<p>The next day, the new couple went out to lunch together to the café down the street. It was no Quaggiano’s, but it was still a nice first date.</p>
<p>“Hey, those flowers in the lab,” Fenton inquired between bites of his sandwich, “Did you get those for me?”</p>
<p>“Heh, yeah, I did,” Gyro chuckled, “but I meant to give them to you yesterday, but I panicked and forgot. I meant to give this to you too.”</p>
<p>He dug into his pants pocket to find the box with the bracelet and slid it on the table towards Fenton.</p>
<p>The duck opened the velvet box and gasped, “Oh wow, this is beautiful, thank you so much!”</p>
<p>The chicken nodded, “You’re welcome, I knew you’d like it.”</p>
<p>“Hey, look!” Fenton exclaimed as he pointed towards the window, “It’s the Duck boys!”</p>
<p>The trio looked at Gyro and gave a matching thumbs up and a wink.</p>
<p>Gyro chuckled softly as he took a sip of his coffee.</p>
<p>He thought blissfully, <em>“Maybe it is good to have feelings after all.”</em></p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>